Last week I received my copy of the Smashing Newsletter from Smashing Magazine. I was especially excited about this issue because every feature section was focused on accessibility. One section I found especially interesting was about...
As I sometimes do when I'm researching for a blog post, if a comment or an idea piques my interest, I immediately jump down a rabbit hole. The DigiCol A11Y Summit was no exception. While watching the presentation titled The future of document...
Plain language is not about oversimplifying the content. It’s about language that enables people to find what they need, understand it the first time they read or hear it, and use that information successfully. Plain language focuses on...
After a long day of reading reports, meeting with stakeholders, and returning numerous emails and phone calls, you come home, grab your tablet, and go to your favorite sushi restaurant's website to order dinner. <sigh> You scroll down the...
From navigation menus to action buttons, icons can make interfaces feel clean, modern, and compact. But while icons may look sleek and elegant, they don't always clearly communicate meaning, especially when accessibility is a priority. In this...
DubBot has two new updates designed to make life easier for our account administrators. Whether you're managing user accounts or configuring authenticated website crawls, these updates help reduce administrative effort and simplify those...
A tooltip is one of those concepts that's often misunderstood. Many people think of a tooltip as a single UI element, but it's actually made up of two working parts. The trigger element and the tooltip. That fact was not always evident in some of...
This is the final post of a four-part series on web governance. A strategy fueled by people, process, and technology. See part three titled Process: A Lifecycle for Sustainable Web Governance. Technology transforms web governance from a...
This is part three of a four-part series on web governance. A strategy fueled by people, process, and technology. See part two titled People: The Foundation of Web Governance. See part four titled Technology: Powering Effective Web...
This is part two of a four-part series on web governance. A strategy fueled by people, process, and technology. See part one titled Web Governance: Building Structure for a Sustainable User Experience. See part three...
This post kicks off a four-part series on web governance. A strategy fueled by people, process, and technology. See part two titled People: The Foundation of Web Governance. Your website is one of the most visible representations of your...
Last week, I was involved in an automobile accident. (No injuries with either driver.) My little Kia Soul sustained some pretty extensive damage. I’ll admit, it was pretty scary. It definitely shook me up. When I finally got home and...
I’m a long-time subscriber to Smashing Magazine’s email newsletter and have found articles and webinars that have inspired numerous blog posts over the years. One recent newsletter highlighted an article by David Mello,...
I love autocomplete! It’s one of those tiny internet features that makes my online life so much easier. Especially when I’m logging into a website or app I haven’t visited in months, and my brain has fully deleted...
Ableist language isn’t always obvious. It can hide in tone, assumptions, euphemisms, backhanded compliments, pity, or even the microcopy on a simple button label that seemed harmless at first. Case in point. While building a...
In my blog post, What's So Great About HTML?, I included a link to Mark Steadman's LinkedIn profile. That link was flagged as an HTTP 404 error in the DubBot app. I certainly was not expecting that. I jumped out to LinkedIn and looked up...
While working on a Google Slides presentation celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), I thought it might be a good time to pause and write a few words about accessibility best practices for creating slide...
If you haven’t heard yet, the DOJ will be extending the ADA Title II web accessibility deadline for public entities with a total population of 50,000 or more by one year, from April 24, 2026, to April 26, 2027. It also...
ALT text is a vital part of how users experience your content. Yet for most of us, there has been no clear way to evaluate ALT text at scale. Without a clear view, it can be all too easy to overlook and even easier to forget. That’s all...
Microcopy is easy to underestimate. Let’s face it, it really doesn’t look like much. It’s a handful of words on a button. A line of helper text under a form field. A quick error message that shows up at exactly the...
Most advice on creating accessible emails centers around ALT text, color contrast, and proper semantic structure. All essential elements for any digital creation to be accessible. But if you’re a content marketer like me, trying to...
Caveat: This post will discuss accessibility testing with VoiceOver, Apple’s free screen reader. You don’t need to install any software or plugins. You do need to be on a Mac computer or laptop, and for the best results, run...
Footnotes look simple on the surface - a tiny superscript link that leads to small print at the bottom. But in digital spaces, they’re anything but simple. On the web, they rely on semantic structure and sometimes even ARIA to clearly...
If you work in digital accessibility long enough, you start to hear two very different conversations. One is about what’s required to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the criteria that often define legal risk and...
Accessibility should be baked in long before a piece of content goes live. When accessibility is addressed only at the review stage, it becomes a last-minute fix rather than a built-in part of your content strategy. When you make it part of the...
This is a follow-up post to the four-part ALT text series that began with ALT Text Isn’t a Description. It’s a Content Decision. An effective web accessibility strategy doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a...
This is the final post in a four-part series on ALT text. Because writing it well (and knowing when not to write it) deserves more than a quick checklist. See part three, ALT Text Is Read by AT, Search Engines, and AI—Write...
This is the second post in a four-part series on ALT text. Because writing it well (and knowing when not to write it) deserves more than a quick checklist. See part one, ALT Text Isn’t a Description. It’s a Content...
This post begins a four-part series on ALT text. Because writing it well (and knowing when not to write it) deserves more than a quick checklist. See part two The Most Accessible ALT Text Is Sometimes No ALT Text at...
In December 2024, I wrote a blog post outlining several accessibility certifications, including three from IAAP and the Trusted Tester Process & Certification Program. The post's main idea...
Working alongside the new Image Inventory upgrade is the new References panel! References is a powerful way to understand how all the building blocks on your website connect. Image Inventory answers the question What do we...
That’s right! DubBot now inventories all your images with every Site crawl. And the best part? You don’t have to request access to Image Inventory. It’s turned on by default and ready to make you a rock star....
Have you ever looked at the dashboard of an automated testing tool and thought, Why is accessibility sitting next to SEO and broken links? At first, accessibility might seem to belong in a totally different category. More legal, maybe...
Early in my career, building websites meant writing HTML by hand, often in Notepad. No visual editors or drag-and-drop tools, just tags and a lot of trial and error. As the tools evolved, so did my workflow. I moved from Dreamweaver to...
One of the building blocks for a sustainable accessibility strategy is a remediation plan. An accessibility remediation plan is a structured, repeatable approach that outlines how you'll test for and identify accessibility issues, decide what to...
As a blog writer focused on accessibility topics such as standards, laws, tools, best practices, and the latest trends and developments, I spend roughly 40 – 50% of my 40-hour week conducting research. That means reading reports and...
ARIA can be a powerful tool for creating accessible web content. But it’s not a universal solution. When misused, it can actually generate accessibility barriers rather than removing them, creating confusion for assistive technologies...
Imagine a student exploring a digital archive of 19th-century letters, or a researcher diving into an interactive map of historical migration patterns. Now imagine that a student or researcher can’t fully engage because the site...
Back in May of this year, I wrote a blog post about the importance of a sustainable, continuous accessibility monitoring strategy for ensuring long-term digital accessibility compliance and improvement. This blog post is a...
The Analyze feature just got an upgrade. Previously, full-site re-analysis was handled behind the scenes by the DubBot team. Thanks to valuable client feedback, account and site-level administrators can now run a complete Analyze across their...
DubBot is proud to be a sponsor for New England Drupal Camp on November 14-15, 2025! Our own Amy Helfman, a longtime Drupal user and developer, will be on-site for this outstanding event that offers a community-driven space to learn, share, and...
A well-crafted website accessibility statement is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate to visitors that your organization has made a genuine commitment to accessibility and inclusivity. Back in 2021, I wrote a blog post on...
Custom 404 error pages are a valuable part of any website as they turn what can be a frustrating user experience into an opportunity to keep users engaged with your site. Instead of a generic, technical error message that makes visitors think your...
Broken links happen for many different reasons. And though they may seem minor, they cause ripple effects across accessibility, SEO, AEO, and user experience. Let’s break down how broken links affect accessibility, SEO, AEO, and user...
Digital accessibility, when done right, is designed to improve the experience for everyone, not just people with disabilities. But yes, there are cases where accessibility features can impact website performance. Those cases are primarily due to...
Task management is the process of overseeing a task throughout its entire lifecycle, from inception to completion. It is a fundamental practice for both individuals and teams, designed to enhance efficiency, productivity, and collaboration. So...
When your web content appears as a solid wall of text, readers can feel overwhelmed and click away before they even start. That’s a missed chance to connect and share your message. This is where lists come in. There’s a reason...
If you’ve invested in an accessibility platform, it should work for everyone on your team, including those who use assistive technology. So what happens when the very tool meant to help you meet accessibility standards can’t...
I recently attended Digital Colloquium's Accessibility Summit—hands down one of my favorite events of the year. Niki Ramesh delivered this year's keynote, Using AI to Improve User Experience, which was both timely and...
At DubBot, great technology is just one part of our solution. True success comes from supporting our users with exceptional service and a genuine understanding of our clients’ accessibility goals. Our Client Support Team is at the...
When the DOJ rolled out its final rule for Title II of the ADA for state and local governments, it brought some long-overdue clarity—and also raised critical questions surrounding the topic of archiving. Suddenly, it’s not just...
DubBot is proud to once again be a Platinum Sponsor of the Digital Collegium 2025 Annual Conference, where higher ed professionals come together to share insights, sharpen skills, and build the connections that drive your industry forward....
With Custom Policies in DubBot, you can easily create tailored checks to keep your content on track. These policies can return a list of pages that either match or don't match a single rule or a set of custom rules. These checks can be...
At DubBot, we get excited when organizations blend accessibility and bold leadership into their digital strategies—and even more so when it’s one of our clients leading the charge. David Moretti, Senior Director of Digital...
While working with a client to help customize the crawl on one of their sites, DubBot’s client support specialist, Joanie Chembars, discovered an area for improvement in the Ignore Path setup module. Joanie was helping this client...
Welcome to DubBot! We're excited to help you get up and running! Just because our software is self-service doesn't mean you’re on your own! Our Client Support Team works closely with you to get to know you and your team,...
A sustainable, continuous accessibility monitoring strategy is essential for ensuring long-term digital accessibility compliance and improvement. Here are some key elements that make such a strategy effective and sustainable. Build Accessibility...
Less than a year ago, a client contacted our support line with an unusual situation…users were "disappearing from the platform." Multiple inquiries had come from colleagues who had been set up in DuBot but had now disappeared and no...
Misspelled words damage credibility and erode trust — they also disrupt user flow and negatively impact search engine rankings. Maintaining proper spelling across your website is a strategic advantage. Leveraging DubBot’s...
We've all been there. You click on a link only to be met with the dreaded "404 Not Found" page. Broken links leading to "404 Not Found" errors frustrate users. Beyond the inconvenience, these errors harm your website's search engine...
Have you ever noticed that most WCAG accessibility standards emphasize how content is delivered, not the content itself? While Section Headings (2.4.10) and Reading Level (3.1.5) relate to content, they are Level AAA criteria. Generally,...
The DubBot app effectively identifies WCAG accessibility, broken links, and SEO issues. It provides a comprehensive initial assessment and a solid foundation for your remediation efforts. But sometimes, you may need to dig deeper. Websites can be...
Website security. It's not just for big corporations. If your website collects any information, you have to make sure it’s secure. DubBot can help you do that with its Website security policy set. This policy set includes four custom...
Internal traffic – visits to your website from your own organization – can skew your Google Analytics 4 (GA4) data, making it difficult to understand actual user behavior. Filtering this traffic is essential for accurate...
Introducing the beta DubBot WordPress module. DubBot subscribers can now experience a simplified version of the DubBot interface directly within your WordPress editor. Using DubBot’s accessibility and content quality checks,...
We love it when our clients bring us their ideas and are always excited to see how we can improve our products. Based on that client feedback, account administrators can now use the new policy category "Informational Search (Unscored)"...
We're grateful to be part of your team and look forward to continuing our accessibility journey together. Here’s wishing you a big, bold holiday!Note: DubBot will be closed Thursday, Nov. 28, and Friday, Nov. 29.
You might read the blog's title and think, "How much is there to know about links and buttons?" A hyperlink, or link, is for moving from one page to another, and a button triggers an action, like the submit button on a web...
After weeks of comparing schedules and two cancellations, my best friend and I were finally going to have dinner at the new vegan cafe downtown. I plugged the address into my GPS, and off we went, following the directions exactly, only to be...
Web forms are relatively exposed compared to other website applications, which, coupled with their frequent handling of sensitive data like payment details and Personally Identifiable Information (PII), makes them particularly susceptible to...
If your organization wants to redesign its website, don’t forget to include DubBot in your tool kit. The accessibility testing capabilities can be incorporated from the start, including for secure development environments. Just...
As a proud supporter since 2018, DubBot is thrilled to continue our sponsorship with HighEdWeb. This year, DubBot is a Platinum Sponsor and Accessibility Partner for the HighEdWeb Annual Conference. Join us in person (or virtually) for the Annual...
DubBot is proud to be a sponsor for #EvolveDrupal NYC! This outstanding event is hosted by our partner and friends at Evolving Web. DubBot’s VP of Client Services, Penny Kronz, will deliver her presentation titled...
Do you ever wonder if the new software, app, or online help documentation you're considering is accessible to everyone? An Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) is a tool that promotes inclusivity by telling you how well a product meets...
Abbreviations and acronyms like "LOL" (laughing out loud or lots of love) and "ETA" (estimated time of arrival) are everywhere in communication, from texting to work emails. While they're handy for saving time and making things shorter, they can...
Thursday, May 16th, DubBot and our partner Lullabot co-hosted "Web Accessibility Q&A: Simplicity, Testing, and Remediation," which featured a fantastic panel of accessibility professionals from Iowa's Department for the Blind, Lullabot, ...
Are persistent cookie consent pop-ups hindering your website's accessibility scan? These notifications can be annoying and prevent you from reading page-level reports, leading to a poor user experience. The following screenshot showcases an...
Content marketers churn out a lot of content, striving to balance originality and brand consistency while adhering to the organization's style guide. Content creation has many moving parts, but Custom Policies can make that process easier. I took...
You may not realize this, but about 10% of the people visiting your website could have dyslexia. Still, others may struggle with cognitive or learning disabilities that make reading words and sentences difficult. Turns out, the average reading...
DubBot administrators can now see a new option, Account History, in the Settings panel. Account History allows administrators a centralized location to view account-wide events with a timestamp for when the event occurred. The events are...
Missing images not only compromise the aesthetic appeal of your website but can also hinder your SEO. Excessively large images can have an adverse effect on your website performance. Get ready to take control, as DubBot will soon empower you to...
On November 16, I posted a blog titled Error Messages and Making Them Accessible. Today’s blog is about best practices to help you help your users actively avoid those errors. Similar to initiating accessibility testing at the outset...
DubBot brings you an exciting addition to your testing arsenal: the ability to configure the viewport used for testing and previewing your website for a more customized evaluation of your content within DubBot. Viewports play a significant role...
In a world where software companies try to be everything to everybody, we’ve taken a different approach at DubBot. Instead, we prioritize simplicity in our approach, recognizing that end users avoid overly complex...
Looking back on the history of dark mode, anyone can see it has come a long way from the old cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors that displayed green text on a black background. It has evolved over time, driven by both practical considerations and...
DubBot’s clients have often provided inspiration for amazing product updates and feature additions. The ability to ignore issues by an element's HTML source is certainly proof of that. Imagine you have a webpage with an image of a dog...
Does your company have an Editorial or Writing Style Guide? Is it consistently applied across your site? Doing so can greatly increase the quality and usability of the content on your site. Why? Consider a user’s confusion if...
Are you ready? The HighEdWeb Accessibility Summit is right around the corner. It’s happening on Tuesday, July 25, to be exact. Have you registered yet? No? What are you waiting for? Register Now! Here at DubBot, we are especially...
A few weeks ago, I was preparing for a webinar and reviewing a list of potential questions. One question, in particular, caught my attention: "Is it acceptable to release a product or website that is partially accessible?" As I began to formulate...
Closed captioning is the process of adding written text to movies, TV shows, commercials…any type of video or audio media to make it accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. But, closed captioning not only benefits those...
Calling All HigherEd! Web analytics isn’t just for page views anymore. Although Web analytics has been around for about 30 years, it wasn’t until 2004 that "Web analytics became more established as an essential tool for web...
What are those badges on the DubBot website? If you have spent any time at all on the DubBot website, you’ve noticed some "badges" with titles like "Best Support," "Easiest Set-up," etc. Each badge is labeled with a season, a year, a...
DISCLAIMER: DubBot does not endorse using ChatGPT as the only solution for generating regex and XPath expressions. Testing and verification by a qualified human is a must. The DubBot Support Team is here to help you with...
We all know that adding ALT text to our images is a very simple way to help add accessibility to our websites and digital assets. But there are other forms of text alternatives that, when used properly, also make your digital creations...
Why are web content writers, designers and managers still using "Click Here" (or "Read More," "Learn More," etc.) as link text when it has been shown repeatedly it's just not best practice? Maybe it’s time for a refresher course on...
Back in October, October 9-12 to be exact, Little Rock, Arkansas hosted #HEWeb22 - HighEdWeb’s Annual Conference. DubBot’s own Penny Kronz was a conference speaker, sharing her expertise in her session...
What exactly does "uptime" mean in reference to your website? Uptime means the number of hours your website is operational and available to users. Uptime is generally measured as a percentage and calculated in monthly or yearly increments. The...
The problem with overlays is that they are still a problem! In February of 2021, I posted about the havoc that overlays cause to assistive technology and its users. According to a recent article, not much has changed. The...
The Higher Education Web Professionals Association or HighEdWeb is an organization of people dedicated to the "future of digital in higher education." Their annual conference is "created by and for" higher education professionals across campus....
Web forms should be easy to navigate, complete, and submit while being keyboard accessible from the first input field to the submit button. Instructions, input format requirements, and error messages should be written in plain language and...
